Spotlight Series: Josh Contor, Gaffer

Josh Contor, Secondhand Hearts Gaffer

Josh Contor, Secondhand Heart's illustrious gaffer, has been making movies since the 8th grade--he loves it! Initially getting involved with Secondhand Hearts because of his previous work and friendship with director Austin Everett, Josh went to BYU film school and has worked on previous projects with Austin as well as various others. Josh says his favorite thing about working on this movie so far is his gaffing crew. "They're so cool and work so hard. I love messing around with our grip gear to control the light and create beautiful images. I love watching a scene come together, the cameras and lights arrive at the same time as the actors, then the slate goes in and we all hope it might be magical... it's methodical, but also spontaneous and requires lateral thinking to get the best results." Josh says that he's "glad to be back with the gang again! Love this crew, really want to see this project come together. Rock it, guys." We're lucky to have you on board, Josh!

Spotlight Series: Ward L. Wright, Supporting Actor

Ward L. Wright, who plays Morris in Secondhand Hearts

After receiving a BFA and then an MFA in acting, Ward Wright went to to work as an active member of Actor's equity union for 12 years. He has performed on the stages of Kansas City Rep, The Heartland Theater, Coterie Theater, Unicorn Theater, and with Pioneer Theater company. His film and TV credits are also numerous, including Touched by an Angel, Promised Land, various TV movies, and, of course, our very own Morris in Secondhand Hearts. Ward says he got involved with Secondhand Hearts when Director Austin Everett, a former student of his, reached out to him with the script. After reading it, Ward thought, "Heck yeah!" Ward says his favorite moment on set was the first day. "I realized we all hit it off and became good friends from the get-go!" Ain't that the truth. Ward's future plans are to continue to work at BYU, creating art and meaningful friendships along the way!

Red Carpet Premiere Invite

Here's some exciting news: for a limited time, anyone who backs us with $50 or more will be invited to Secondhand Heart's private movie premiere in 2016! And yes, you can even bring a date. If you've already given $50 or more and chose a different reward, don't worry--you can still claim this one. Happy Holidays from the Secondhand Hearts family to you! Thank you for all your love and support!

Let’s talk about the Kickstarter for Secondhand Hearts.

I’m going to be unabashedly honest and I hope that’s okay.

There’s this weird thing happening — And I’m not really sure I can explain it. For some reason we have reached over 12,000 people with our post of our Kickstarter and dozens people have shared it… But our backer count is less than 10. Now, I said I would be honest, so I will be…

This surprised and quite frankly discouraged me.

In a way, I was a bit embarrassed that we didn’t have the blast off that I thought we would and I started to worry that maybe we wouldn’t be able to achieve our goal.

I messaged Connie (producer) and said that we should talk about canceling our Kickstarter.

And then I woke up.

Because here’s the thing — we may fail. That was a possibility from the start. And that has to be okay. But what is absolutely not okay is giving up; giving up is never okay.

Let me say that again, GIVING UP IS NEVER OKAY.

So I don’t know what it will take to actually have people support us monetarily, it’s something that I’ve never really thought about until now. And you know what, I don’t care. Not because we don’t need the help, believe me, we do. But because more important is that this fire burning furiously inside of me doesn’t go out.

Here’s what I think: We reached over 12,000 people with our post and dozens more shared our post to help spread the word. That’s freaking amazing. I’m grateful for every single person that has liked, commented, shared, and watched us as we’ve chased that nimble and agile thing we call our dream.

So this is a call out, to success or failure: I don’t know which of you is waiting for me at the end of these next 30 days — but I’m coming for you with guns ablazin’.

xoxo

Austin.

And please, if you feel so inclined, check out our Kickstarter and donate to our film. It’ll be worth it — I promise.

4 DAYS UNTIL OUR TEASER TRAILER AND KICKSTARTER LAUNCH!

7 days until our teaser trailer and Kickstarter launch!

Spotlight Series: 1st AD, Scott James

Scott James, Assistant Director of Secondhand Hearts

From Springville, Utah, Assistant Director Scott James comes from a background of various student films and nationally-aired commercials. Currently attending BYU as a student, Scott got involved in Secondhand Hearts through a referral from a fellow crew member and was hired after meeting with Director Austin Everett. If you need proof that he makes a perfect AD, Scott describes his favorite moment on set like this: "For me, it's hard to beat ending ahead of schedule--it's like Christmas. It validates that I've done my job well and everybody is always in a good mood when they get to go home early." Need we say more? Scott's future plans are three fold: 1) Develop his skills in film and production even further at BYU, 2) Gain a few years of practical experience in the field, and 3) Get a Masters degree to enrich his experience and knowledge. "End game? Still really open. I kind of have this desire to go into politics, specifically becoming a mayor somewhere, or perhaps overseeing the operations of several businesses that I have co-founded, or, best option, to become the VP of Development at Lucasfilm." On that note...we're currently praying we'll be on his good side when he takes over the world. It's been great to have Scott on the team!

Spotlight Series: Lead Actor, Jericho Lopez

Lead actor Jericho Lopez, who plays "Kenneth" in Secondhand Hearts.

Second in our spotlight series is actor Jericho Lopez from Honolulu, Hawaii. Jericho started performing lead roles at 16 in Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Honk, and Honolulu Broadway Babies, and placed top 10 for Humorous Interpretation in the 2008 National Speech and Debate Tournament. Recent film credits include Kenneth in Secondhand Hearts,Get the Girl, and Pick Your Own Adventure: A Mountain West Murder. When asked how Jericho got involved in Secondhand Hearts, he said, "Austin called me via cell phone. I said hello. He said hello back. He asked if I wanted to be a part of something magical that could potentially transform me and change my life. I said, 'YESOHMYGOSHPLEASETELLMEMOREIAMEXCITED.' And that's how it started." Jericho says his favorite moment on set was the dinner scene. "I know we weren't supposed to be really eating the food, but every now and then I snuck in a couple more bites when no one else was looking. #continuityissues #freefood." Why are we not surprised? Jericho currently lives in Utah with his beautiful wife and their hairy dog, Harry.

Spotlight Series: Executive Producer, Concepcion Alicino

Executive Producer, Concepcion Alicino

Our very first Secondhand Hearts spotlight rightfully goes to our executive producer, Connie Alicino. Originally from Tijuana, Mexico, and an active member of PGA (Producers Guild of America), Connie is currently working on Skull Island, and carried 10 years of experience in production work. Her vast resume includes feature films Snowden, Big Eyes, Point Break, and winning TV series LOST. Connie got involved with Secondhand Hearts after director and co-worker Austin Everett approached her about producing his film, and before long, she was leaving the tropical shores of Hawaii to film in Orem, Utah. Connie says her favorite moment on set was when she was able to sit back and admire everyone being in tune with their surroundings and creating art together. Also, she says, "when Cooper freaked out about one of the plot twists." Can we blame him? Connie currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and plans to continue making movies well into the future!